If you have done your research ahead of adopting your dog, then you will likely find that there is an ever growing majority of dog trainers, dog experts, and veterinarians who support positive reinforcement training as the most humane and effective form of dog training. This method is based on the principle of rewarding your dog for good and desirable behavior so that it associates this behavior with a positive experience and will therefore be more likely to repeat it. This can be used for any kind of dog training, from obedience training, to teaching your dog not to bark excessively.

There are two main types of reward that you can use as positive reinforcement. These are treats and praise. Treats are highly effective, especially in the early stages of training, as it will keep the attention of your dog and will motivate it to try to identify the behavior you want so that it can respond correctly and earn the treat.

In order to train your dog not to bark using treats, you need to come up with a command word that tells your dog that the barking needs to stop, for example, “quiet”. When the dog barks, use the word “quiet” in a firm and solid way, without shouting, but without sounding like you’re asking a question or have any doubt about what you want. If the dog is silent for two seconds after you say the word, immediately give it a treat. If it barks again, ignore the behavior and then start again. Do not repeat the command word over and over. Instead, you simply need to establish a balance between ignoring the bad and rewarding the good after the command has been given.